Hi Justine...

I know how you feel. my DD has just started to wake when DH gets home from work (No matter what time of day or night), and she is a daddy's girl. I am a bit redundant when he is home, cause she too just wants daddy and to play. She was actually sleeping through the night until a few weeks ago, so a bit more frustrating!.

But at the moment (she is only 6 months), I am getting him to feed, cuddle and settle her once she wakes and as soon as she wakes in the morning, we go and give daddy a kiss and leave him to sleep (depending on what shift he has come off).. She seems happy once she has seen him and is happy to play, eat and (if I am really lucky) sleep , then we wake DH up together..

We are going the opposite approach and putting her back in her own room (she has been in our room as she was sick a few weeks ago), cause she is quite a lite sleeper and wakes as soon as she hears our voices.. Since DH has been putting her back to bed instead of me, the times she is awake is less and less each night, like she is starting to realise that he will still be there in the morning..

GL and am sure she will soon realise that she doesn't need to welcome him home!!

oh, and as for time alone, on the days I don't work we tend to make the most of her morning sleep time (around 9sih) to spend some time together.